


Five Misunderstandings

by eloiseupstairs



Category: World Wrestling Entertainment
Genre: F/F, F/M, Five Times
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-17
Updated: 2020-07-17
Packaged: 2021-03-05 01:14:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,766
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25216069
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/eloiseupstairs/pseuds/eloiseupstairs
Summary: Five times Bayley misunderstood.
Relationships: Bayley | Davina Rose/Dakota Kai | Evie, Bayley | Davina Rose/Elias Samson, Bayley | Davina Rose/Kana | Asuka, Bayley/Peyton Royce/Billie Kay, Sasha Banks/Bayley | Davina Rose
Comments: 8
Kudos: 20
Collections: Little Black Dress Exchange 2020





	Five Misunderstandings

**Author's Note:**

  * For [APgeeksout](https://archiveofourown.org/users/APgeeksout/gifts).



Bayley's backstage at the Performance Center when she hears the strum of a guitar behind her, and _oh_ , she thinks, _great_ , because there's no one else that could be.

"What?" she says, turning around, and Elias just gives her one of those enigmatic, crooked-mouthed, warm-eyed smiles that she always used to love so much. And still, even now, after all this time, there's a flutter of something inside her chest at the sight, but she pushes the feeling away impatiently because that was forever ago and she's a different person now. A _better_ person, one who doesn't have time for hopeless crushes on guys who spout shit about how they just can't be tied down, don't you know, they have to be free, it's just their nature and...

Yeah, she's done with the unrequited crap. 

" _What?"_ she repeats, and she's about to leave when he strums the guitar again and starts to sing.

" _You know I miss that girl named Bayley / 'Cause I haven't seen her lately / She's real changed, is all I've heard / But I don't believe a word / Until I see it for my own / That she's not the girl I've known..._ "

Bayley rolls her eyes, sighing loudly, but it seems as if there's more, Elias' voice rising as he goes on.

" _Oh, Bayley, would you prove me wrong? / And I'll put it right here in this song / Oh, Bayley, we had something good / Tell me that we always could."_

He plays a few last wistful chords and then stops. "You finished?" Bayley asks, and he nods, just once. "Good," she says. "Now I've got a song for you." She holds out her hands. "May I?"

"Of course." He gives her the guitar and she settles it in her arms like something once-familiar, closing her eyes for a moment, taking a deep breath.

"SHUT UUUUUUUPPPPPP," she wails, fingers plucking violently back and forth over the guitar strings, ending with a flourish, one fist raised in the air.

"Tuneful," says Elias, seriously.

"Like a goddamn symphony, dude," Bayley replies, shoving the guitar back at him. He takes it, and she can hear him laughing affectionately as she walks away, something tugging at her heart.

But she doesn't look back.

*

You see some stuff backstage, relationships and romances and arguments and hook-ups, and Bayley should keep moving, but she hovers for a second, staring, because _this_ , she wasn't aware of.

The IIconics are obviously close, but Bayley had always just assumed that meant BFF-close, rather than vigorously-making-out-in-a-corner-backstage-close. _Huh_ , she thinks, then _shit_ , as they both look up, seeing her.

They glare at her, frowning, and Bayley can't decide whether it's more awkward to stay or go, so she stays, which is definitely the wrong decision, because Billie snaps, "What? Standing there, Miss Googly-Eyed, you never seen two best friends kissing before?"

"Sure, I just..." Bayley says, taking a wary step back as they walk towards her. "I didn't know that you were..."

"That we're what?" Peyton demands.

"That you're..." Bayley gestures vaguely.

"We're best friends," says Billie. "That's what best friends do."

"Oh." Bayley nods. "Well, I..."

"Don't you pash your bestie?" Peyton demands.

"Don't I _what_ her?"

"Pash," Peyton repeats. "Like, kiss passionately."

"Yeah, you know, I don't think it's any of your business what I do with my best friend."

Peyton looks at Billie. "That means she doesn't."

"For sure," Billie agrees, and they both giggle in unison. "You think Bayley's a good kisser, Peyton?"

"Hmm, maybe, but I think Sasha would be better, Billie."

"What?" Bayley says. "Why? I'm good, I'm great. I'm the best, actually."

"I don't think so." Peyton scrunches up her nose, shaking her head.

"I _am_ ," Bayley insists.

"Oh yeah?" Billie challenges. "Prove it."

"What? Now?"

"Right now."

"Kiss _you?"_

"Aw, you scared? You a little chicken girl who can't kiss?" Peyton makes a squawking noise, darting her head back and forth, and mostly, Bayley just kisses her so she'll shut up, but her mouth is surprisingly soft and full, her lips warm against Bayley's. And Bayley's just closing her eyes, really starting to feel it when Peyton pulls away.

"I..." Bayley starts, not sure what to say, because frankly she's a little dizzy.

But Billie announces, "My turn," and Bayley might open her mouth to protest but Billie's way too fast, lunging in with an almost startling enthusiasm, Bayley's words swallowed up by what is actually a pretty significant amount of tongue. But it's _good_ tongue, hot tongue, licking against her own, deep enough she's not sure she can breathe, and when Billie moves back, Bayley has to lean forward, trying to follow until she catches herself, pretending she hasn't lost all dignity.

Peyton and Billie look at each other, serious. "She's not bad," says Billie, and Peyton nods in agreement.

"Not bad at all, yeah."

Bayley swallows.

"Little smear there, sweetheart," Billie says solicitously, carefully rubbing her thumb over the corner of Bayley's mouth. "Red lippie, you know, gets everywhere."

"Yeah," says Bayley. "Sure."

And they turn away, as if satisfied, taking each other's hand. "See you, Bay," Peyton trills back over her shoulder as they leave.

"Don't call me that," she tries to yell after them, but her voice is weak.

*

There's something unnerving about the way Asuka stares at her, sitting up in the hotel bed, watching as Bayley dresses herself. She seems smaller away from the ring, paler, but her presence is not one iota less commanding, and sometimes it's unsettling to be around, to feel so utterly _observed_.

"You tell anyone about this?" Asuka asks. "About us?"

"What's there to tell?" Bayley says. "It's just sex." That's all it is, she assures herself. Just two rivals with a fighting chemistry that happens to spark just as explosively in the bedroom. Nothing more, no emotion or connection beyond the purely physical.

"So you don't tell?"

"No," Bayley answers, and she doesn't know why she suddenly feels so defensive. "Of course I don't."

"You ashamed?"

"No." Bayley pulls her t-shirt over her head, glancing around, finding her jeans on the floor.

"You don't even tell Sasha?"

"Why would I tell Sasha?"

"You're together."

Something tightens inside Bayley's chest at that, and she says, "We're friends."

"Friends..." Asuka huffs out a breath that might almost be a laugh, the sound of it pointedly cynical.

" _Best_ friends," Bayley insists. She stops, looking over at Asuka. "Why?" she asks. "Do you tell Kairi? About..." And she's not going to say _us_ , she's not, because there is no _us_ , not here. "About this?"

"Yes," Asuka answers, and Bayley might be a little shocked by that, but she doesn't let it show.

"Well," she says, "Sasha's different."

" _Different,_ " Asuka muses.

"Yeah, _different_." Bayley shakes her head, zipping her jeans. "I wouldn't expect you to understand."

And Asuka's lip curls up at that, something undefinable hardening in her eyes, but all she says is, "See you next time, Bayley."

Bayley shoves her feet into her sneakers, standing up straight. "Yeah, I don't think there's going to be a next time."

"You say that, always." Asuka smiles. "But you come back, always."

"Yeah, nope, I'm done."

"Okay," says Asuka. 

Bayley can _hear_ the disbelief in her voice, and though she knows she should let it go, it rankles, inching its way under her skin. "You know Sasha's going to beat your ass at Extreme Rules, right?"

Asuka tilts her head a little to the side, raising her eyebrows.

"She will," Bayley says, louder than she intends, more forceful, but Asuka doesn't say anything.

 _Never again_ , Bayley thinks as the hotel room door closes behind her. And this time, she swears, she means it.

*

Bayley's sorting out her gear backstage when Dakota sidles up to her, leaning against the nearest wall, hands in the pockets of her shorts. 

And Bayley ignores her, but Dakota smiles at her, way too familiar, and says, "You know what you need?"

"Well, I do know what I _don't_ need," Bayley replies, "and that's someone like you _telling_ me what I need."

But Dakota isn't dissuaded, because she goes on, saying, "You need a bigger tag partner."

"My tag partner's fine." Bayley turns to face Dakota, folding her arms. "In fact, she's so fine that we're the tag team champions, so we're like officially the most fine tag team in this entire company."

Dakota gives her a condescending look. "Kind of feels like you're hanging on by a thread though."

"What?"

"Few slip-ups lately." Dakota draws in a breath, shaking her head. "You need someone more like Raquel, someone to really have your back."

"Sasha and I are equals, I don't need some big dumb guard dog to protect me. Not like you."

Dakota laughs at that. "It's funny," she says, "people always used to say I was a lot like you.

"Yeah, well, I got an upgrade."

"That's what I used to think, but now I'm not so sure."

"Seriously?" Bayley asks, incredulous. "You don't think I'm better than I used to be?"

"Oh no, you're better than _that_. Just kind of like..." Dakota gestures lazily, one hand slicing dismissively through the air. "Insecure."

"What?" says Bayley. " _What?_ I'm a double champion, I'm Bayley freakin' Dos Straps. That's the most secure it's possible to be."

Dakota shrugs. "Maybe you should think bigger."

"There _isn't_ anything bigger."

"Well." Dakota's still leaning against the wall but now she stands up straight. "Raquel's bigger. In fact," she continues, "I'm pretty sure Raquel's big enough that she could take care of both of us."

"What does that mean?" Bayley narrows her eyes, because it sure doesn't _sound_ like Dakota's talking about tag teams anymore. Or maybe she is, but just in a very different way.

"Think about it," Dakota says. She slips her hands back in her pockets, nudging Bayley with her elbow, biting her bottom lip before she walks away, and Bayley watches her go.

*

"You okay?" asks Sasha. They're both sprawled out on Bayley's couch, dinner and dishes done, netflix playing on the TV.

"Yeah," Bayley replies with a yawn. "Just tired."

Neither of them speak for a while, the silence between them comfortably familiar, but then Sasha says, "We're okay, aren't we?"

"Of course we are, we're always okay."

"Good," Sasha says, snuggling up closer, letting out a softly contented sigh.

"We're forever," Bayley murmurs, settling in, Sasha curled warm next to her. And sometimes she wonders what that word might mean, _forever_ , spoken here in a room where there's no one else, no one but them.

But for now, maybe just for tonight, this can be enough.


End file.
